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Chen J, Liu Z, Cui H, Song H, Wang J, Gao H, Chen S, Liu K, Yang Z, Wang Y, Wang X, Yang X, Meng L, An L, Xiao S, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y. Direct and indirect effects of dominant plants on ecosystem multifunctionality. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1117903. [PMID: 36938009 PMCID: PMC10017997 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1117903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity is essential for the provision of multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (ecosystem multifunctionality EMF). Yet, it remains unclear whether and how dominant plant species impact EMF. Here, we aimed at disentangling the direct from indirect above- and belowground pathways by which dominant plant species influence EMF. We evaluated the effects of two dominant plant species (Dasiphora fruticosa, and the toxic perennial plant Ligularia virgaurea) with expected positive and negative impacts on the abiotic environment (soil water content and pH), surrounding biological communities (plant and nematode richness, biomass, and abundance in the vicinity), and on the EMF of alpine meadows, respectively. We found that the two dominant plants enhanced EMF, with a positive effect of L. virgaurea on EMF greater than that of D. fruticosa. We also observed that dominant plants impacted on EMF through changes in soil water content and pH (indirect abiotic effects), but not through changes in biodiversity of surrounding plants and nematodes (indirect biotic pathway). Our study suggests that dominant plants may play an important role in promoting EMF, thus expanding the pervasive mass-ratio hypothesis originally framed for individual functions, and could mitigate the negative impacts of vegetation changes on EMF in the alpine meadows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Ziyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Hanwen Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Hongxian Song
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Haining Gao
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Hexi University, Zhangye, Gansu, China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Kun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zi Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yajun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xiangtai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xiaoli Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Lihua Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Lizhe An
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Sa Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet
- Aix Marseille Univ, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Avignon Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Écologie marine et continentale, Technopôle Arbois-Méditerranée, Aix-en-Provence, France
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